diff --git a/cmd/modd/main.go b/cmd/modd/main.go
index 5137079..bec8c58 100644
--- a/cmd/modd/main.go
+++ b/cmd/modd/main.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package main
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"runtime"
 
 	"github.com/cortesi/modd"
 	"github.com/cortesi/modd/notify"
@@ -45,9 +46,21 @@ var debug = kingpin.Flag("debug", "Debugging for modd development").
 	Default("false").
 	Bool()
 
+var pipesignals = new(bool)
+
 func main() {
 	kingpin.CommandLine.HelpFlag.Short('h')
 	kingpin.Version(modd.Version)
+
+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		pipesignals = kingpin.Flag(
+			"pipesignals",
+			"For signals that don't exist on Windows, write their name to the stdin of daemons instead").
+			// TODO(DH): Should it be enabled by default?
+			Default("false").
+			Bool()
+	}
+
 	kingpin.Parse()
 
 	if *ignores {
@@ -75,7 +88,7 @@ func main() {
 		notifiers = append(notifiers, &notify.BeepNotifier{})
 	}
 
-	mr, err := modd.NewModRunner(*file, log, notifiers, !(*noconf))
+	mr, err := modd.NewModRunner(*file, log, notifiers, !(*noconf), *pipesignals)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Shout("%s", err)
 		return
diff --git a/conf/block_windows.go b/conf/block_windows.go
index 08fb8eb..ef0b33a 100644
--- a/conf/block_windows.go
+++ b/conf/block_windows.go
@@ -12,8 +12,9 @@ func (b *Block) addDaemon(command string, options []string) error {
 		b.Daemons = []Daemon{}
 	}
 	d := Daemon{
-		Command:       command,
-		RestartSignal: syscall.SIGHUP,
+		Command:           command,
+		RestartSignal:     syscall.SIGHUP,
+		PipeRestartSignal: true,
 	}
 	for _, v := range options {
 		switch v {
@@ -25,6 +26,10 @@ func (b *Block) addDaemon(command string, options []string) error {
 			d.RestartSignal = syscall.SIGINT
 		case "+sigkill":
 			d.RestartSignal = syscall.SIGKILL
+			// Although Windows doesn't have signals, Go does recognise the
+			// intention of SIGKILL and uses a native API to terminate the
+			// target process.
+			d.PipeRestartSignal = false
 		case "+sigquit":
 			d.RestartSignal = syscall.SIGQUIT
 		default:
diff --git a/conf/conf.go b/conf/conf.go
index ffbd2e2..7eeae72 100644
--- a/conf/conf.go
+++ b/conf/conf.go
@@ -9,8 +9,9 @@ import (
 
 // A Daemon is a persistent process that is kept running
 type Daemon struct {
-	Command       string
-	RestartSignal os.Signal
+	Command           string
+	RestartSignal     os.Signal
+	PipeRestartSignal bool
 }
 
 // A Prep runs and terminates
diff --git a/conf/parse_posix_test.go b/conf/parse_posix_test.go
index 4b8bf62..52051e0 100644
--- a/conf/parse_posix_test.go
+++ b/conf/parse_posix_test.go
@@ -12,15 +12,15 @@ var parsePosixTests = []struct {
 }{
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigusr1: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGUSR1}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGUSR1, false}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigusr2: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGUSR2}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGUSR2, false}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigwinch: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGWINCH}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGWINCH, false}}}}},
 	},
 }
 
diff --git a/conf/parse_test.go b/conf/parse_test.go
index 1569df4..f2477c3 100644
--- a/conf/parse_test.go
+++ b/conf/parse_test.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package conf
 
 import (
+	"runtime"
 	"syscall"
 	"testing"
 )
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 			Blocks: []Block{
 				{
 					Include: []string{"foo"},
-					Daemons: []Daemon{{"command", syscall.SIGHUP}},
+					Daemons: []Daemon{{"command", syscall.SIGHUP, windows}},
 				},
 			},
 		},
@@ -105,25 +106,25 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 		"{\ndaemon +sighup: c\n}",
 		&Config{
 			Blocks: []Block{
-				{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGHUP}}},
+				{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGHUP, windows}}},
 			},
 		},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigterm: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGTERM}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGTERM, windows}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigint: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGINT}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGINT, windows}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigkill: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGKILL}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGKILL, false}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"{\ndaemon +sigquit: c\n}",
-		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGQUIT}}}}},
+		&Config{Blocks: []Block{{Daemons: []Daemon{{"c", syscall.SIGQUIT, windows}}}}},
 	},
 	{
 		"foo {\nprep: command\n}",
@@ -243,6 +244,8 @@ var parseTests = []struct {
 	},
 }
 
+var windows = runtime.GOOS == "windows"
+
 func TestParse(t *testing.T) {
 	for i, tt := range parseTests {
 		ret, err := Parse("test", tt.input)
diff --git a/daemon.go b/daemon.go
index 855544c..aa00752 100644
--- a/daemon.go
+++ b/daemon.go
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 package modd
 
 import (
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
 	"os"
 	"os/exec"
 	"sync"
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@ type daemon struct {
 
 	log     termlog.Stream
 	cmd     *exec.Cmd
+	stdin   io.Writer
 	shell   string
 	stop    bool
 	started bool
@@ -51,6 +54,13 @@ func (d *daemon) Run() {
 			return
 		}
 		c.Dir = d.indir
+		if d.conf.PipeRestartSignal {
+			d.stdin, err = c.StdinPipe()
+			if err != nil {
+				d.log.Shout("%s", err)
+				continue
+			}
+		}
 		stdo, err := c.StdoutPipe()
 		if err != nil {
 			d.log.Shout("%s", err)
@@ -97,6 +107,16 @@ func (d *daemon) Run() {
 	}
 }
 
+// Go's standard library uses a mix of word tenses for the string
+// representation of signals. For our 'pipe signals' feature, the strings we
+// write on the pipe should be present-tense because they are conceptually
+// requests.
+var pipeSignalTenseCorrections = map[string]string{
+	"aborted":    "abort",
+	"killed":     "kill",
+	"terminated": "terminate",
+}
+
 // Restart the daemon, or start it if it's not yet running
 func (d *daemon) Restart() {
 	d.Lock()
@@ -106,8 +126,17 @@ func (d *daemon) Restart() {
 		d.started = true
 	} else {
 		if d.cmd != nil {
-			d.log.Notice(">> sending signal %s", d.conf.RestartSignal)
-			d.cmd.Process.Signal(d.conf.RestartSignal)
+			if d.conf.PipeRestartSignal {
+				sigStr := d.conf.RestartSignal.String()
+				if s, ok := pipeSignalTenseCorrections[sigStr]; ok {
+					sigStr = s
+				}
+				d.log.Notice(">> piping signal \"%s\"", sigStr)
+				fmt.Fprintln(d.stdin, sigStr)
+			} else {
+				d.log.Notice(">> sending signal %s", d.conf.RestartSignal)
+				d.cmd.Process.Signal(d.conf.RestartSignal)
+			}
 		}
 	}
 }
diff --git a/modd.go b/modd.go
index bcdec2a..4180b8d 100644
--- a/modd.go
+++ b/modd.go
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ type ModRunner struct {
 }
 
 // NewModRunner constructs a new ModRunner
-func NewModRunner(confPath string, log termlog.TermLog, notifiers []notify.Notifier, confreload bool) (*ModRunner, error) {
+func NewModRunner(confPath string, log termlog.TermLog, notifiers []notify.Notifier, confreload, pipesignals bool) (*ModRunner, error) {
 	mr := &ModRunner{
 		Log:        log,
 		ConfPath:   confPath,
@@ -72,6 +72,9 @@ func NewModRunner(confPath string, log termlog.TermLog, notifiers []notify.Notif
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
+	if !pipesignals {
+		mr.disablePipeSignals()
+	}
 	return mr, nil
 }
 
@@ -96,6 +99,20 @@ func (mr *ModRunner) ReadConfig() error {
 	return nil
 }
 
+// disablePipeSignals disables the PipeRestartSignal flag in all daemon config
+// structs. When those structs were constructed, that flag was enabled in cases
+// where the combination of the running host OS and the specific signal chosen
+// would result in that signal silently failing to do anything. If the entire
+// 'pipe signals' feature is to be disabled, then those smart defaults need to
+// be cleared by calling this method.
+func (mr *ModRunner) disablePipeSignals() {
+	for i := 0; i < len(mr.Config.Blocks); i++ {
+		for j := 0; j < len(mr.Config.Blocks[i].Daemons); j++ {
+			mr.Config.Blocks[i].Daemons[j].PipeRestartSignal = false
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // PrepOnly runs all prep functions and exits
 func (mr *ModRunner) PrepOnly(initial bool) error {
 	for _, b := range mr.Config.Blocks {